Waste cleanup close for Berwick

A RATE to cover the cost of a counciladministered commercial waste collection in Berwick has been foreshadowed.
Agreement is close between the Berwick Chamber of Commerce and the City of Casey Council on striking a rate for waste collection that will enable the council to manage the collection process.
Chamber president Michael Hall said during this month’s chamber meeting that he expected a supplementary rate to be soon introduced.
Mr Hall said the council would manage the collection process by one contractor.
“With the council doing this we will also get a better tender process,” he said.
“This is the only way to fix the waste collection problems in Berwick.”
Edrington Ward councillor Brian Hetherton said work on the new arrangement was well advanced and he believed it would happen.
Mr Hall said the major shopping centres had shown that waste could be collected in an orderly way and tenants in those centres must abide by strict rules.
“The chamber believes it is unsatisfactory to have multiple collection services in the shopping centre at irregular times as we now have,” he said.
“We support this move to bring Berwick into line with best practices.
“This will add much to the attraction of our commercial centre.”
Chamber member Wilma Barron said the new system would involve users taking their rubbish to a central pickup area that would be screened and locked.
“This will eliminate the mess and the health risk we now have because of the present system,” she said.